Thursday, June 15, 2006

More cross-country riders

I was out on the eastern plains this week, on a stretch of U.S. Highway 287 that appears to be as popular among long-distance cyclists as it is among long-haul truckers.I know, it's a strange mix, but they seem to make it work.

At Eads, a tiny town that is used to cyclists showing up, I met Tim Berthiaume, a 59-year-old retired firefighter from Clinton Township, Mich. Berthiaume is riding his recumbent bike solo and unsupported from Astoria, Ore., to Yorktown, Va. He started May 1 in Oregon, and was in Eads (almost to Kansas) on June 13.

Berthiaume is a little road-weary, and couldn't remember where he entered Colorado on his trip. But he did remember the long haul over Hoosier Pass. He's carrying 30 pounds of gear in a little trailer, and raising money along the way for the Great Lakes Burn Camp.

Lean and tanned, he says he has learned a lot on his journey. "Next trip across the country, I'm taking an RV."